Improvement in organ-reeds



EL@ WHITE.

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mamma@ OOGOGOGGOOOOO wmweaw@ UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGEI HENRY K-WHITE, OF BRATTLEBOROUGH,VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO J. ESTEY Si; OO., OF SAMEPLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ORGAN-REEDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,522. dated October24, 1876 application filed October 23, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY K. WHITE, of Brattleborough, Vermont, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Reeds for Musica-lInstruments and in Reed-Organs, (assigned to J. ESTEY da G0., of sameplace,) of which the following is a specification:

My invention consists, first, in a reed for musical instruments havingthe slot in the reed-plate extended beyond the free end of the tonguethereof, to produce an echo-like or muffled tone, substantially ashereinafter specified. Second, my invention consists in the combination,with a diapason set of reeds and a principal set of common reeds, of aset composed in part of reeds having the extended slots hereindescribed, and in part of comlnon reeds, substantially as hereinafterspeci- In the accompanying` drawings, Figure l represents a plan view ofmy improved reed, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is aplan view of the reed -board of an organ provided with three sets ofreeds, and illustrates the mode of combining and arranging my improvedreeds with reeds of the common form.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, A is the slotted plate of the reed, to whichthe vibrating tongue B is secured. The tongue B is arranged immediatelyover the slot, in the same relative position therewith as in the commonreed 5 but the slot is longer, or of greater area, than the tongue, soas to leave a space or aperture, D, at the end of the tongue, as shown.The proportionate size of this enlarged space D is about as representedin Fig. 1, the extent end- Wise of the slot being nearly the same as thewidth of the slot,.but not exceeding it. The length of theslot-extension may vary somewhat in tuning and voicing the reed.

The effect of this construction is to produce a soft and pleasing tone,of a peculiar character, and of a nature superior to anything that hasbeen heretofore obtained with reeds.

Many eiforts have hitherto been made to produce a soft tone with reeds,but they have failed to a greater or less extent. These have consistedin a muftling of the cell or air-passage to deaden or obstruct thetransmission of the sound, the tone being rst produced strong, and thecell then muffled or covered up sufficiently until the required degreeof softness is obtained or approximated to. This has been attended withconsiderable difficulty and expense, and has been but partly successfulin producing a tone of the desired character.

By my invention this soft tone is produced by simple means and in aneffective manner. As the slot of the reed is partly open orunobstructed, the current of air in passing through it acts lessforcibly on the tongue, producing vibrations of a less decidedcharacter, with the resulting tone correspondingly modiiied to a subduedtone having the softness characteristic of a whisper or like that of anecho.

In order to obtain one of the best eifects from my improved reeds, incombination with the common reeds in a reed-organ, I arrange them asshown in Fig. 3. F is the reed-board, which, as shown, is provided withthree sets of reeds, the reeds on a line with each other in thedifferent sets being of the same note, as is usual. E is the front orprincipal set, composed of the common reeds. I is the back or diapasonset, and is likewise composed of com- -mon reeds 5 and G H is a third orupper set, the right 0r treble half H of which is composed ot the commonreeds, while the left or bass half Gr is composed of the improved reeds.The reeds G are the same size as the principal set E, and the reeds Hare the same as the diapason set I, so that the improved reeds G are anoctave higher than the reeds H.

The advantages of this arrangement are, that it enables the player toobtain the effects of two banks of keys upon one bank-that is, if he isplaying with the right hand, by means of the strong reeds H he will havestrong solo effects, while with the left hand, by means of the softreeds G in the bass or left end, he will have a very light bass, andthus play harmony with both hands. By this means a result heretoforeimpossible without considerable expense in single-bank organswith fewsets of reeds is accomplished in a very simple and effectual manner.

' What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is as follows:

1. A reed for musical instruments, having the slot in the reed-plateextended beyond ythe free end of the tongue for a distance about equalto the Width ot' the reed-slot, as herein described, to produce anecho-like or mufded tone, substantially as herein specied.

2. In a reed-organ or musical instrument, the combination, With adiapason'set of reeds and a principal set of common reeds, `or" a setcomposed in part of reeds having extended s1otsas hereinabove describedand claimed, and in part of common reeds, substantially as and for thepurpose herein specified.

, In `witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses..

HENRY K. WHITE. Witnesses:

GEO. S. DOWLEY, J. E. HALL.

